Relighting Fire
by m0ckingjay13
Summary: Wren Mellark, 1/3 children of Katniss & Peeta, has the face of Prim and attitude of Katniss. The story of her life learning about the past tragedy's of The Hunger Games. With her best friend, Finn son of Finnick she shares a special relationship, but all is revealed when Wren comes into contact with the son of a relatives friend. Is Wren, like her mother, is a dangerous spark?
1. The Ceremony

***BEEP BEEP BEEP*** My right hand creeps out from under the sheets to hit the snooze button for the seventh time this morning. Another cold December morning in the Mellark house. Except today wasn't any ordinary December morning, today was my younger sister Lock's birthday. Her first birthday actually. I turned to the cot only metres away from my own bed, to find it empty, followed by laughter that was unmistakably hers. She has that kind of preciousness to her laugh, the kind that actually makes me smile. She's one of the only people I care about, which is the only thing my personality is like my mothers. She told me her younger sister, Prim, was the only person she cared about. That was at least until she met my Father. They were both part of these big games a few years back called "The Hunger Games", but they don't like to talk about it. Nobody likes to talk about it. Its as if it was something so tragic to strike fear into the whole of Panem. I remember it briefly being mentioned when I was younger in school, but then they brought about the laws of it not being taught in schools, in case history repeats itself. Or something along those lines. I finally start to drift back off into a light sleep when I hear the sound of boots coming up the stairs. Darius, my older brother. "Isn't it about time you come downstairs Wren?" I see him standing at the bottom of my bed, leaning to grab the covers. "Don't do it Darius, you know you'll regret it" I say to him as I strike him a promising look. No matter how much I held onto the covers, he always finds a way to rip them off. At first I just lie there and accept the fact that lying there in the cold is better than getting up and chasing him, and then it clicks. This is Darius I'm dealing with and he's only trying to get me to go downstairs. He's almost like my mother, however has the presence of my father. He's kind and charming to everyone he meets. He makes me look useless. All I do is skip school and hang around the districts and wait for Finn.

Ahh Finn. He's a good friend of mine, his mother and mine are good friends, and also used to be with their father until he passed away. But apparently Finn is the image of Finnick in every sense of the name. Stunningly beautiful and extremely kind, no wonder he gets on so well with Darius. No matter how good friends they are, I don't think Finn will ever be as close to Darius as he is with me. On the days I don't go into school he'll always check and pick up some work for me, even though He is two years older and isn't in ANY of my classes. He'll sit with me until I do at least one page of work per subject, then we take a walk at the edge of the forest. Even when I don't go to school I'll walk with him there and back. I guess he's one of the only people who really understand me. Our parents are forever making little jokes about us one day getting married, but that would just be weird!

By this point Darius' voice has turned into a blur as he rambles on about some pointless information that I'm not really all that interested in, and before I know it my bed is soaking and even more cold than before. He knows exactly how to push my buttons and I end up chasing him down the stairs in a rage. "Finally she's up! Good morning, sweetheart!" My uncle Haymitch exclaims as he turns to my mother and mutters under his breath "I've told you she's like you" My mother rolls her eyes as she hands me a blanket to keep warm. "The fires on in the corner" she says as she freezes as if in a different universe. She does this often, as does my father. He walks over to her and gently takes her hand and pulls her in closely. It shouldn't, but seeing them like this makes me happy. I know, I know, my traumatised parents shouldn't make me happy, but it brings out the softer side of me, the side that gets happy when I see my parents being there for each other. They won't tell me, but I've come to the conclusion that there's only one thing that could have made them this way: The Hunger Games.

The moments of silence is interrupted by that sound of laughter that I love so much. We all turn at the same time to see Lock with a face covered of porridge. "Is little Lockie wanting some of the attention again?" I say in a lightened tone as I walk over to her high chair. I lift her in the air and spin her three times, as she loves, before even considering removing the mess from her face. I place her down in the living area, where all of her presents are still unwrapped. "Now you're up and in a good mood, I suppose we can watch her open the presents now?" My mother gives me as if to say she's been waiting a long time. I look up at the clock to see it's already 11 O'clock. "Sorry" I reply. The present Darius bought for her is the first she grabs and tries to open with a frustrated look taking over her face. When she finally gets the hand of it, her usual smiley face returns at the sight of a new teddy. She's been lost for a few weeks since she dropped her old one. "Fank oo DarDar!" She blows him a kiss and smiles, sweetly at him. After the rest of the presents are opened, I walk over to her and hand her a small box. She takes a moment to examine it before looking me in the eyes to say she doesn't have a clue what it is. I sit next to her and pull her onto my knee, open the box and place the locket around her neck. "A Locket for Lock" I tell her. She says nothing but turns around and wraps her arms around my neck.

As everyone is sat at the table drinking tea I'm at the window waiting for Finn. There's snow on the ground outside, like the day Lock was born, except this time it's worse. Is sit for at least an hour before I see him walking from his house in Victors Village, holding Annie's hand to help her in the snow. "Darius, Finn is on his way over, I'm going to help him with Annie" I shout as I'm already out of the door, no coat or shoes, just me pyjamas and blanket. Running over I take the blanket off so I can wrap it around Annie's shoulders. Words aren't needed as greetings between us anymore, we see each other every single day, but with Annie I feel the need to. She does what my parents do, go into these other universe states, but with Annie its worse. They say she's been this way for a while, and after losing Finnick it got worse. My parents were always there to help her though, and she really grew on me as one of the few people I genuinely care about. "Morning Annie!" I say as Finn helps me with the blanket. I turn to Finn and smile and that's it. Comfortable silence. As we hurry up the steps to my house and get Annie inside I can feel my mother giving me the stare. I get if off her so much that I don't question it anymore, I know exactly what she means. I run up the stairs and hop in the shower, clean myself up and put on some nice clothes. Going outside in this weather wasn't the best idea as I can feel my nose running already. "Typical" I hear a voice and look up into my dressing table mirror to see my mother's silhouette standing in the door way. Without responding, my head returns to facing mirror where I attempt my mother's famous plait. "Wren" she says as she walks towards me and takes over with my hair. "You know what tonight is, right?" I nod my head and try to avoid eye contact with her. The night of December 13th is the night of what is known in Panem of Tribute and Fallen ceremony. I don't really know much about it, but I know that My parents go every year, as well as Annie. The past two years Darius and Finn joined, as they both turned 16 prior to the event. My birthday is always a few weeks after the celebration, so this year will be my first. And I know what's coming, she's going to tell me all what it's about. Darius and Finn both know, but they aren't allowed to tell me. Until now that is. "You've heard of The Hunger Games?" My mother says as taking a deep breath, trying to prevent herself from the haunting memories of it. My right hand rises across to my left shoulder where her hands have frozen half way through task. "It's OK" I tell her. I force a smile out, a rare emotion I show to her. She smiles back and gathers the courage to continue. "The Hunger Games was a televised event that took place where two boys and two girls between the ages of 12-18, from each district would be put into an arena to fight to the death" "Even the Capitol?" I ask. "No, the event took place in the Capital. They viewed it as a sport almost. But times are different now, they aren't quite as cruel. Anyways, the 74th Hunger Games came around and there was the process of nomination: The Reaping. My sister, who only had one entry in the reaping, was chosen" She responds. "Prim? Is that how she died?" Hastily I ask. "No, no. She was killed by a man I used to be very fond of. But that's beside the point. I volunteered myself as a tribute, meaning I would take her place in the Games. Your Father, was also reaped" By the point I'm speechless, yet intrigued. She continues "After a while in the arena they decided to change the rules, to where two tributes from the same district could win if they were left standing. Which was obviously us. But at the last minute they changed the rules back, so only one could win. We picked up some berries called Night Lock. The berry Lockie is named after. This would mean if we both ate the night lock, we would die instantly, leaving the Capitol without a winner. As we were about to take our lives they made an announcement, crowning us as the winners of the 74th annual hunger games" Before continuing she took a pause, as if to take in all of the information the same way I was. "That is when things became bad. The whole of Panem started a rebellion, and I was the mockingjay" she told me. "You were a bird?" I asked, very confused. My mother pulls out a badge-like item from her pocket and holds it so I can see what it is. "A mockingjay pin, its beautiful" The only words I could pull from my brain. I was so astonished at how beautiful it was that I genuinely was lost for words. "I was the face of the rebellion, the mockingjay. Then the Quater Quells came along" It seemed almost as If my mother expected me to be fully educated on this terminology she was using. "Quarter Quells?" "Every 25 years of the games there would be the Quarter Quels, meaning the games were harder and crueller. This specific year, they threw 24 past tributes back into the arena. One boy and one girl from each district. That's when things really got bad. A handful of the tributes that went in, including Finnick, were rescued. Your father wasn't. He was taken by the Capitol and hijacked. I'll not go into details on that, but that is the reason he takes moments out of life sometimes. The whole country was part of an uprising and in the end we won. It was a long, hard battle and tonight we celebrate the memory of the fallen tributes, rebels and innocent lives" My mother finishes her story at the exact same time she finishes my hair. "You look like Prim, beautiful" She tells me. I can feel my face light up slightly as I respond with a simple "Thank You". Then there's silence. Soon to be broken by the overwhelming smell of fresh bread. My Father, Peeta, is a baker and has been part of a baking family since he was born. He has an exceptional talent for decorating cakes that reminds me that today is Locks birthday, which means there will be an extravagant cake to mark the occasion. "Come on then, before Finn's ate all of the bread" My mother tells me with a wink as she mentions Finn's name. I say nothing and hurry down the stairs to see everyone.

As expected, Finn's sat there eating as much as possible. "Hungry?" I ask him. A look of guilt shadows his face and he lifts up the smallest bun in reach to hand to me. "So kind of you Mr. Odair" I respond. Lock is sat in her high chair across the table with the exact same look as the rest of my family has on their face whenever I have a "moment" as they say with Finn. I try to take no notice of it because I know Finn, and I know that nothing would ever happen between us, we're too close. I like things the way they are: simple. Anyways, I see the way the girls all look at me when I'm with him, I hear the whispers too. It's bizarre how jealous they become, but really they don't seem to understand that we're just friends. Nobody does, except us. There's one girl especially who doesn't see it, Invidia. She glares at me when she see's me, but acts as if she's my best friend whenever Finn is around. "So Finn, how's Invidia?" I ask while stuffing my face with my tiny share of bread. "Oh so lovely as always!" He replies, sarcastically. "Seriously Wren, she won't leave me alone. I'm starting to get really scared of her. I try to be nice enough to keep her happy without giving her ideas but it doesn't work!" Finn tells me. "It must be hard, having all the girls in school at your beaconing call" I reply. "All except one" he continues. "One?" I ask. When it comes to Finn I know what to expect amd I'm ready for it every time. Annie says it's one of the many ways he's like his father. He knows he's beautiful and expects everyone to love him. I don't blame him though. I'm pretty sure if I wasn't as good friends with him then I'd probably be like the other girls, just not as forward. After a short pause he finally replies in a hushed voice "you". Typical Finn. "I don't go to school, Finn" I quickly reply in the same hushed voice. He stares at me as he always does with those sea green eyes for a few seconds before I feel the burning looks of Darius from the other side of the room. "I'm going to pull away now Finn, Darius is looking at us like they always do" I whisper to him. "If you were really bothered you would have already pulled away" He winks at me and beats me to it, leaving me looking like one of his crazed followers. I shoot him a look to let him know that I'm not impressed. "Welcome to the club" He responds as he gets up from the table to talk to Darius. "The swine!" I think to myself, trying my best not to kick off with him. But before I have the chance to go any further my father is coming out from the kitchen with his masterpiece of a cake, lit with one candle.

After Lock has blown out the candle on her cake, and we all made a wish on her behalf before having a slice of cake, Finn took Annie home to prepare for the night ahead. Our babysitter arrived on the porch to take care of Lock for the evening and I went upstairs to find something decent to wear. As I entered the room I find clothes already laid out for me. A blue dress with the mockingjay pin attached to it. I take a few moments to stare at it before finding a note beside it.

"_Dear Wren,  
I wore this dress the day of the reaping I volunteered as tribute. It would mean a lot to me, and many others, if you could wear it tonight.  
And as for the mockingjay pin, it's yours. Wear it with pride.  
Love from,  
Mother."_

I take the dress and change into it. Although me and my mother don't always see eye to eye, I know things haven't been easy on her, so the least I can do is make her proud of me in some way. When I finally make my way down the stairs my whole family is waiting at the door for me. My mothers eyes start to well up and we haven't even left yet. "Doesn't she look beautiful Katniss!" My father says to my mother as I finally reach the light of the hallway. "She certainly does" she replies as my father helps her put on her best coat. I take my coat from the hanger and put it on. My father holds the door open for us as Darius escorts my mother outside and I follow. As he locks the door he catches up to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. "Are you ready?" He asks. I reply in a confused way. "For?" "Tonight, its pretty sad. You'll have plenty of support though. Finn will be there to help you too" Again with the Finn comments. "Dad!" I try to shout but by this point he's already caught up to my mother. We wait for our car with the rest of the district 12 victors village residents. As far as I'm aware, Annie and Finn aren't from District 12, they moved here for extra support and because the majority of the houses in the victors village here were vacant, it was no problem for them to move in.

We all pile into the same car and are took train station where we travel to district 13. 13 was the perfect place for a memorial garden for everyone. It was so spacious and everyone was so welcoming. I walk in to the memorial garden to find literally hundreds of people in line to pick up some tokens to place next to the name of each person recorded to have died. Finn takes Annie straight over to the small trident stand to pick up a special version of the token, especially saved for them. We pick up a few as our family suffered a lot with the deaths, bearing in mind the majority of them died for my parents sake.

I wander over to a station marked "Primrose Everdeen". My mother's sister, my auntie. I spend a few moments staring at them, not entirely sure what to do. I'm distracted by a voice coming from my left. "I'm guessing you're a relative of hers? You look just like she does in the pictures". At first I'm unresponsive. "I am, she was my auntie. And you are?" I reply. "Oh, so you're Katniss' daughter? I'm your mothers friends son. Hi, I'm Aksel. Your name is?" The boy explained. "Oh, I'm Wren". He stared at me for a while before speaking again. "Like the bird. My father was right, the Everdeen family are quite something" A remark I didn't know how to respond. Within seconds of this, Finn is by my side grabbing hold of my arm. "Come on Wren, we're about to take our seats" He tells me in a kind of begging manor. I don't question it and agree to go with him. "I guess I'll see you some other time Wren" Aksel shouts over as I'm being dragged away and all I can do is look at him.  
"Who was that? Why were you talking to him?" before I even have time to comprehend what just happened Finn is shooting questions in every direction but I take no notice of him. "Wren!" He exclaims in a louder tone, pulling me from his side to right in front of him with both hands tightly holding onto my arms. Once again I'm met by those eyes, only this time they are lit in a way I've never saw them. "His dad knows my mother, ok?" I reply in a harsh tone, trying to shrug him away from me but his firm arms won't let me move. He doesn't move his eyes away, and this time I'm determined to unglue from his stare before he can. But I can't, I get an overwhelming sense throughout my body, nothing like I've ever felt before. My eyes start to fill with what I think is tears, but they don't run down my cheeks, they stay put. He can see it and pulls me in closer and holds me tightly. Even though I can't see him doing it, he's glaring at Aksel, I can just tell. I find my way out of his arms and run towards my family and Annie.

We all take a seat, right near the front and a big ceremony starts. Our President starts with a small introduction, followed by a few personal speeches by past tributes, followed by a presentation of all the tributes who were ever reaped and then finally they call for the mockingjay to make a speech. My mother takes to the podium and gives the most inspiring speech I've ever heard. The way she holds back her tears and refrains from breaking down moved me. She stood there for everything this country is and I've never been more proud of her in my life. Everyone is then given a lantern with names written on it. Each name was of each person that died in the process. My mother and father are first to light there's and release them into the air. Thousands of different coloured lanters are set off into the air in memory of them all. My mother turns to me as I release mine and a tear rolls down her cheek. She see's me as prim, I know she does. I walk over to her and embrace her, it only lasts a few seconds but it was just what she needed. We gather out belongings and head to the main part of the garden. We place our tokens next to each persons name that made an impact on our family. I wish I could put one down for everyone, but the only people I know about is Prim and Finnick, so I stick with them. As I rise from placing the token next to Prim's name I'm being stared at again. A tallish, thin, pale and blonde lady was hovering over me. She has the District 12 look, with a few retouches from another district. "Prim" she says in a frail voice. "You knew her?" I ask before actually taking into consideration how much she resembles her. "My daughter. I'm sorry for staring, you look so much like her. May I ask how you know of her? She passed a long time ago, surely before you were ..." she begins to talk about her and I interrupt her before she breaks down crying. "She was my auntie" The lady stood in absolute shock, her pale face turned completely white as she took in that she was my Grandmother. "You're Katniss' daughter? How many of you are there? Are you the only one? ..." Again I feel the need to interrupt her. "Yes, I am. Theres three of us. I'm Wren, My older brother Darius is over there with my mother and Lock is at home, its her birthday today" I knew I had already said to much, and that there must be a reason as to why I've never heard of this lady and before I knew it my mother is coming over to take me away from her. She's angry, I can tell. But so am I, why has she never mentioned her to me before? And what could she have done to make my mother not want me to talk to her? "Why are you talking to her, you knew exactly who she is and you know exactly why you're not allowed to see her or any of them." My mothers voice is raised in a way I've never heard her before, I can tell I've sparked something and I don't like it. The woman replies so innocently and not phased at all by my mother "Katniss, darling. She's my granddaughter, I have every right to see her." My father runs over and has to hold my mother back slightly "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT, NOT AFTER WHAT YOU DID." My mothers crying with rage and I have nobody to turn to, my family is helping my mother and Finn is helping his. I run, just keep running and don't look back. Too fast. I'm falling now. Blackout.

When I finally wake up again, things are exactly how they were before I was gone. Except now I'm in the arms of someone. Secure arms they were, not as caring as Finns but I felt safe. How can I feel safe in the arms of a stranger, and then a familiar voice startles me. "I've met you once and you're already in my arms." "Aksel" I reply. He brushes my blonde hair behind my ears and out of my face. "That's better" He says in approval. Again, he looks me up and down before giving me a half smile. His strong arms manage to wrap around me and pick me up until I'm steady on my own feet. "Aksel, it's not the time or place" A voice echoes from a few metres away. As I turn to look at this figure I see his face drop. "Dad, this is Wren, Wren Mellark" Aksel tells him in a way that they've discussed me before and that the man should already know me. "Yeh I can tell. Nice to meet you Wren" He puts his hand out for me to shake it, I hesitate but do anyways. "Tell your mother I said hello" He continues. "I will, but what's your name?" I ask. He replies with one word. "Gale"


	2. Chapter 2

As I watch the two silhouettes walk off into the crowd, I'm filled with a sense of loneliness. I remember where I am and that I'm surrounded by thousands of grieving strangers and people exchanging memories of ghosts I never knew, or had ever heard of. I look around for the comfort of Finn but find he's not there. After our moment we had before I doubt he can even bear the thought of me, never mind risking getting himself lost in this sea of people to find me. I don't even know why he got so wound up; I mean it's not as if Aksel has done anything wrong. He's charming, maybe that's it. Finn is so used to me brushing off his charm as if it's nothing new or exciting, but with Aksel it kind of was. Surely it couldn't be that, why would it bother him? We're just friends and I know nothing of Aksel, apart from the fact his Father knows my mother.

My mother. Suddenly I'm frozen as the realisation of what has just happened comes back to me. I start to panic again and can feel my feel starting to pick up some pace. Not knowing where I was going, but before I know it I'm shouting for Finn. "FINN! HELP, PLEASE FINN!" I repeatedly get the most strange looks and people grabbing hold of me, asking me "What's wrong child, what's wrong" and others "Children shouldn't be allowed here". The tears are streaming now and I can feel myself accepting the fact I'm lost. This place is so big that I'll never find them. I've never been to this district before and I don't know my way around. I'm on the floor again but this time I'm crawling to the nearest tree. Anything to get away: away from the devastating cries of people in the crowds. My hearts racing and my whole body trembles. I've never been lost before, I'm so used to my own district and how I know it like the back of my hand. The rays from the lights on the field that were shining right in my direction are suddenly blocked by a tall figure. Hesitantly I raise my head to see him.

"You came to find me?" I slur as the crying is still making my voice tremble. Finn gets down on one knee and lifts my chin up so it's visible in the light. "You really think I'd let you find your way back in this crowd?" Finn replies in a gentle tone as he wipes away my tears. He gives me that half smile he always gives me when he's trying not to be angry with me. "Wouldn't want you bumping into that Aksel whats his face again" He continues. I bite my lip and put my head back down so he can't see my eyes. Without looking I know his smiles gone away again, and resisting the temptation to scream at me, he simply takes my hand and lifts me up. My first few steps are wobbly and turn into a limp. "I think I've sprained my ankle" I mutter to myself. Finn looks down at my deformed foot and picks me up right in his arms, cradling my body, and takes me back to the rest of the group. I try to look him in the eyes, but I can tell he's avoiding mine. The whole way back he says nothing, and our usual comfortable silence is no longer present. I try to lighten the mood by resting my head on his shoulder, but the atmosphere is still tense between us.

We arrive back to the others where they are all trying to calm my mother down. Finn puts me down and I try my best to walk over to her. I look at her for a few seconds while I gather my thoughts but as I go to open my mouth she stops me "It's ok, Wren" I smile at her and kiss her cheek lightly. When I think about it, I can't remember the last time I showed this much affection towards her. She always seemed distant towards me, Darius was always her favourite, but I think it's because he's like my Dad, and well, I'm like her apparently. I don't see it; I don't see how I'm like any of my parents. In fact I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not even from this family. My Uncle Haymitch walks over to me and puts his arm around me "Your mother did a move like that one time you know, couldn't handle the situation and ran off crying. You may look like Prim but you're your Mother's daughter through and through" He whispers in my ear. "I doubt it, I'm nothing like her" "Trust me Wren, You're Katniss and Finn is like Gale" When he says this I'm taken back for a second. "Gale? I met him this evening, Finn is nothing like him" My voice is getting louder than Haymitch would have liked it. The sound of Gale's name catches my father attention and he walks over to us. "You met Gale? How?" My father's tone is a little harsher than his usual soothing voice. For the first time I'm hesitant around my father and respond to him quietly "I met his son, he helped me. Then Aksel introduced me to Gale. He told me to tell Mother he says Hello" My father's eyes widen and he pulls me to the side. "Listen to me Wren, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from that family. Do you understand?" My father's voice is serious and I can see the hatred in his eyes. I nod my head and he storms away.

"Come on little'un" Finn says in a lighter voice as he picks me back up, holding me as if I was a precious baby. We're walking out of the field when I finally manage to get the words out. "Finn? Why don't you like Aksel? Your eyes changed when you saw me with him." I stare at him dead in the eyes, waiting for a response. "I don't know Wren, he looked at you in the same way the girls from school look at me. But more in the way like you were his prey. I just know I didn't like it" As he talks I can feel his arms tense up and the pain rushing through his body. "What, as if he liked me?" After I ask him there is a long pause and I find myself again searching for the comfort of his eyes. He looks down to the ground for a split second and just as he goes to reply we're back at the train station. He helps me back onto the train and before I know it we're back in district 12, all piled into a small car to take us back to Victors Village. Annie waits by the car as Finn carries me to the door. "I'm coming by tomorrow to take you to the hospital to get this looked at" Finn speaks with a slight sense of force in his voice. I go to tell him that it's fine but he knows me too well and cuts me off before I can even respond "It's not fine and you have no choice in the matter, OK?" I nod at him without saying a word. Finn puts me down on the ground so I'm facing him, bends down slightly and places his forehead against mine. As he makes his way back up to his normal height he gently places his lips on my forehead. "Goodnight Wren" He says as he smiles. It's the first genuine smile I've saw from him all evening. It even makes me smile, more so than usual. I can feel my cheeks burning and if it wasn't for the porch lights illuminating my face it would have gone a miss, but he notices and places his hand on my cheek. I step back and become aware of what I'm doing, I can't go down a road like that with Finn, he's my friend and that's how it'll stay. The sparkle in his eyes disappears as he realises what I'm thinking. "Urm, yeah. Goodnight Finn" I stutter before making my way inside.

I walk in to see Darius sat on the large window ledge. "My best friend is in love with my sister, great" He says. "Real funny Darius, and for the record, he's MY best friend" As I correct him he laughs and shrugs it off. "Now as pay back for this morning you need to help me to bed because I can hardly walk" Being the gentleman that Darius is, he doesn't even question it.


	3. Chapter 3

I wake up to another cold morning and roll over so I'm facing my alarm clock. "Early?" I say to myself in a morning voice. Today being a Sunday I usually don't wake up until at least after dinner time. As I go to pull the sheets over my head I'm interrupted by a voice. "This is early for a Sunday, you must have really hurt your ankle!" Without even looking I know it's Finn and before I get a chance to reply he's already lifting me out of my bed so that I dangle over his shoulders. He takes me to the bathroom and gets some clothes from my wardrobe. I usually wear very plain clothes, a long, baggy t-shirt and leggings –mother says I'm lucky I get clothes like t-shirts and leggings, they didn't have them a few years before I was born because they couldn't afford them- but Finn brings in some of the clothes I have hidden because they aren't me. It's a yellow top with white diamond shapes on it with a white skirt and little shoes.

I look at him in disapproval but he looks back at me in the same way, only I can tell he's disagreeing with me. "Why?" I ask him. "You mother asked me to try, and try I will" When he tells me this I just stare at him and sigh. I take the clothes and he smiles then walks out, closing the door behind him. When I'm ready, I limp my way out of the bathroom to see him leaning on the banister. "Can we go now?" I ask him and as he turns around he is speechless. I've never known him to be lost for words like this. He simply walks towards me and holds the braid in my hair. He loosens the bobble and unravels the complex style. My hair drops into loose ringlets and he brings them forward. "There" he says as suddenly picks me up again and takes me down stairs. As we enter the eating area where everyone is, all of the time, there is a huge sigh. Not the type of sigh to say I looked horrible, the type to actually make me feel like I looked nice. Nice? No, I think I looked beautiful for the first time in my life.

Annie stands from the table and makes her way over and kisses my cheek. "Wren, you look beautiful" Annie speaks with a very gentle tone. "She's a keeper Finn" My cheeks flush as she says this but for some reason I feel shadowed with guilt and the first name that comes to mind is Aksel. I look at Finn to see he has a very approving look on his face. "Can we...?" I don't even have to finish my sentence before he's asking Darius to get a coat for me. He brings it over and helps me put it on. "Thanks Dar" I tell him.

As we're walking to the doctors we're back to our usual conversations, just like any other day. But this time a new one is brought up. "Wren, do you ever feel like just getting up and leaving district 12? Maybe move somewhere closer to the Capitol? Or even to the Capitol?" There's an unusual tone to Finn's voice that surprises me. "Every single day" I tell him. I couldn't lie to him, I never do. He already knows that, but he knows I never would. "Then why don't you?" Finn asks me, but I have never actually thought about why. There's only plausible option. "I'm scared"  
"What if I came with you?" He asks me. I never in a million years thought I'd see the day that Finn Odair wants to leave district 12. "What about Annie and Darius? My parents and Lock? Haymitch?" I start to panic at the thought of leaving these people behind, the thought of Finn leaving them behind, possibly even leaving me behind. "I don't know Wren. All I know is that I don't think I want this whole set up in 12. My life seems so planned out. I get an average job to help my mother, I marry you, we have children and the cycle goes on and on" After Finn tells me this he realises what he's said. My heart feels like it has sunk into my stomach and my throat tightens. "Marrying me? You want to leave so you don't have to .." I can't seem to gather my thoughts and speak them and my voice trails off. "Well what else did you expect to happen? You really think I'd marry one of the other girls from school? And you're not going to find anybody else" I feel my anger burning up and now I have plenty of words ready to throw at him. "I'm not going to find anybody else? What is that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough for anybody else? And because you're too good for all the obsessive girls in school you feel the need to marry whoever isn't like that? You can't just settle for me Finn because I refuse to settle for you" I'm screaming now and finding my way out of his arms. He tries to stop me but fails. "You know what Finn, go home" I don't even give him an opportunity to get a word in. Fighting through the pain I find a way to run. I run towards the forest because I knew Darius would be there hunting. My mother taught him how to do it and he's a natural, so he goes every day, catches and prepares meals for those in district 12 that have nothing. There isn't many people left in 12 that have no food, but for those who are hungry, Darius helps them. I'm at the fence I can see Darius through some trees. Panting heavily I shout "DARIUS!"  
As soon as I have his attention he comes running over to meet me. As he approaches I turn my head to see Finn walking towards us. Darius is only a few metres in front of me now and I start running in his direction, grab his hand and pull him with me into the forest. I fall on some vines that tangle around my feet which only makes my ankle worse. My grip of Darius's hand has slipped and I use both hands to remove my foot from the vines. Darius lifts me from behind and keeps running until we reach an area he feels it's safe. He catches his breathe while getting his words out "What was that all about? Aren't you supposed to be with Finn at the doctors" He settles me down on the floor and examines my ankle. "We had an argument, a real one. I had to get away from him Dar" He stops when I tell him this, not sure whether to be concerned or laugh at how I responded to it. "Did he try to hurt you?" He asks in a serious voice. "No, well, not physically" Darius looks at me as if to say I'm being ridiculous, but I can tell he knows what I'm trying to say. There's a nice silence for a while that's interrupted by the singing of birds all around us. As soon as they start to sing a huge smile appears on Darius's face. Out of nowhere I decide to ask him "will you each me to hunt?" His smile vanishes and he's biting his lip, avoiding eye contact. "I can't" He replies. "Why not?"  
"Mother, she told me I'm not allowed to teach you" I can't tell Darius is serious when he tells me this. "Fine, I'll teach myself." Stubbornly I get up and wonder off into the forest. Darius stays nearby to keep an eye on, but I find a way to get out the way of him. I start to try and climb a tree, the highest tree I can find. I drag my ankle up with me which makes it a littler harder, but for the first time in my life I've climbed a tree and the view is amazing. I can't manage to climb it to the top, but I'm high enough to see district 12 but if I look past it, I'm pretty sure I can see district 11.

"Ever been to 11?" A voice says from higher above me. "Aksel! No, I've only ever been here and 13, and 13 was only last night." I'm relieved to see him actually, I can tell he's older than me, maybe the same age as Darius, but he is extremely handsome. Not in the same way as Finn, he has a more rugged look to him. There's also a hint of danger to him, but I feel completely safe in his company. "Have you?" I ask him. He stares off into the distance for a few seconds, then he climbs down to my level. "I've been everywhere" Aksel speaks with an enchanting edge in his voice. "I could show you too" He continues. He turns to face me and our eyes meet, I examine them to find they are crystal blue and beautiful, but they don't have the draw-in affect that Finn's do. Aksel's raises his hand and places it on my cheek. I turn away quickly. "Aksel, where are you from?" I ask quickly, trying to pass the moment. "I'm from district 3. You'd like it there, much better than here"  
"If it's so much better than here, why are you here?" I fire back, hoping to stop him in his tracks. "You live here, and I couldn't bear to not see you again. There's something about you Wren, something that scares me and intrigues me at the same time. I don't scare easy" He talks about it so openly, his words are clear and thought out, an area Finn lacks. I don't like comparing them, they are completely different people and completely different situations. "I don't know what to say" I finally respond. "You don't have to say anything. I want you to come with me, Wren. If you want to leave this behind, I mean, why wouldn't you? Go to the train station in district 3. I'll be there at noon." He's holding my hands in his and staring me dead in the eye. He lets go and begins to climb again, higher and higher until I can barely see him. "Oh, don't let anybody know" he shouts down as he jumps to the next tree. He's like a monkey they way moves and before I know it he's gone. I'm speechless and I sit still for about five minutes before Darius finds me. "It's like a constant game of hide and seek with you Wren, shame your hiding places are never too hard to find." His words send blood to my cheeks and I feel myself ready to turn into a full blown tantrum, but then I think of Aksel's invitation. "One day I'll win Darius, just wait and see"


	4. Chapter 4

Later that evening, my whole family is sat at the table for dinner as usual, as well as Annie. It all feels strange with Finn not being here, and nobody has seen him all day. The atmosphere is tense as my father passes the bread around. The chair to my right is empty and I can't help but notice it. After a while the conversation starts flowing but I can see the fear in Annie's eyes, so every now and again I stretch my hand over and place it on hers, with what I aim to be a reassuring smile.

All of sudden the door swings wide open and a gust of cold air comes in and tickles my ankles. He breathes heavily, in out, in out, trying to catch his breath. He struggles to get the words out. "Wren ... can ... I talk .." His voice trails off as I limp towards him. He takes my hand and pulls me outside, half forgetting that I never went to see the doctor, and my ankle is twice as bad now. "Wren I'm .." Again his train of thought leaves and his eyes dart to my foot. "It's blue, you didn't go?" Finn sounds genuinely concerned, but I'm still annoyed with him and just shake my head.

Finn places his hand under my chin and holds it, with his thumb just below my bottom lip. He tilts my head back so my eyes find his. We stay this way in silence for a short while until he eventually sighs. "I'm sorry" he tells me in the most convincing way possible. I know it's sincere, but I question it never the less. "That sigh makes it seem really genuine, Finn" He recognises the anger in my voice and pulls me in closer so we're breathing the same air. My heart races and my breath becomes quicker, it would have gone unnoticed if my breath wasn't visible in the winter air. "I'm sorry, Wren" He repeats. "I'm not some prize Finn, you know that?" I try to make it sound as harsh as possible, but it doesn't work, not like this. His hand is still cold on my chin but I can feel the heat in mine. "I know, and I'm glad you're not" I try to pull back at the insult but he grabs me and pulls me back. "I'm not good at winning prizes" He continues. I don't know how to respond and bury my head into his chest. His arms wrap around me and he places his chin on the top of my head.

I don't understand what any of this means or where I know stand with Finn, but the one thing I do know is that I'm comfortable. I could quite happily stay in his arms forever, just how it is right in this moment. His arms feel strong and secure around me. My heart rate slows back down to normal when I realise how natural it feels. He gently kisses my head and releases me from his arms. I frown a little when the cold air replaces where the warmth of Finn's embrace stood. "What's up?" He asks when he notices my change in mood. "Nothing, just cold" I tell him, shifting my eyes to the floor as I wrap my own arms around myself. "Let's get you inside, little'un" Finn places his hands on my shoulders and guides me back into the house where everyone else is finishing their dinner and rubbing their bellies.

"Ah Finn! I saved you a plate of food!" My fathers face lights up at the mention of food, I don't blame him really: He is an amazing cook! Finn looks over to Annie, who is clearly ready for bed. "Any chance I can have it to go?" He responds in his polite tone. My father smiles and nods as he begins to wrap it up. Annie thanks my parents and walks towards Finn. "See you tomorrow?" He asks as he heads for the door. I nod and twiddle with my thumbs, trying to avoid his eyes.

As the door closes behind them it begins. "So what was all that about?", "Did he ask you out yet?", "When's the wedding?" I shake my head and rolls my eyes and dash for my room. I sit on the end of my bed. This is my future. I'll live in this stupid district for the rest of my life, being forced to marry Finn and I'll stay at home and raise our 8 children. Perfect. I bury my head in my hands and all of a sudden it hits me. Aksel. Aksel is the solution to this problem. He can change my life. My eyes widen and I feel a sense of eagerness taking over my body. In three days time I will meet him in three. In three days time I will say goodbye to District 12, Finn and my family. Forever.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I am awake early and sat on the steps leading to my house. The air is freezing and the only light to be seen is from the dim street lights. I stare at Finn's house, waiting for him to meet me to walk to school, and can't take my mind away from the fact in a few days time this will all be gone. I need to let him know, not that I'm actually going; but that I don't want this life anymore and that I'm considering it. The thought of it is overwhelming and I sink my head into my knees and wrap my arms around them so tightly, trying to block the world out. I'm disturbed by the opening of his door. Finn walks over to me with a bounce in his step. His face lights up as he notices me on the steps. "Didn't expect you to come this morning, wounded soldier" he shouts across the road. I had completely forgotten about the fact I can barely walk, and that it's getting worse. He gets closer as I stare at my foot. "Hm, I guess I'm unstoppable" I say with a half smile. He kneels down in front of me as he sees the shift in my mood. "What's wrong?" His smile drops into a concerned face. It's the happiest I've saw him in a long time, and I can't bring myself to break that. "Nothing, what's right with you?" I force a smile at him, hoping he can't see through it. His smile returns and travels right to his eyes, exposing a dimple on the right side of his face. I've never saw this before, and as much as I don't want it to, it makes me feel warm inside. "Well?" I ask him again. "Oh Wren" He replies in a playful voice, he takes my hand and pulls me up so we're standing face to face. I stare at him expectantly, although I don't know what I expect him to say. He doesn't say a word and lifts me right onto his back so he carries me.

I half start to fall asleep in his warmth when the sound of his voice brings me back. "So what's your plan for today, school?" He asks, I don't know whether or not he's serious, he knows how much I hate school and the people in it. "Yeah, I've been invited to sit with your girlfriends at lunch" I start sarcastically "Don't be so stupid, Finn" I realise I've said it too harshly, and even though I can't see his expression, I can tell I've hit a nerve. "They aren't my girlfriends and never will be, there's no reason they wouldn't invite you to sit with them and I am _not_ stupid!" I can hear the anger in his voice. I gently run my fingers through his hair, carelessly. "Don't take it so to heart Finn. You're turning into a girl" I squeeze tight around his neck, like a little girl would.

There's silence between us for a while, until we start to approach the school. Finn lets me down and turns to say goodbye. "Finn, wait" I say pleadingly. He raises his eyebrows and nods at me to carry on. My throat tightens and the words won't come out. I can't find a way to tell him that I want to go. He looks at me and can tell there's something wrong. He pulls me in tightly, still staring at me. "You can tell me" He says gently. I can see the girls in my year walking past and glaring at me. One of them stands behind Finn. She has long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She's almost as tall as Finn and she's thin. The only thing that flaws her beauty is the way her eyes burn through your skin. You can tell she's the kind of girl who gets what she wants, when she wants. She wants Finn, I can tell, and she can't have him. She clears her throat and Finn ignores her, still with his eyes on mine. "Eh Hem" she is almost shouting now. "Finn" He looks at her for a split second and turns back to me. "Meet me here later? After school? You can tell me then" Finn tells me. I shake my head "It doesn't matter. Enjoy" I know he wants to know, but he's Finn and he needs to please his crowd, which in this case is a blonde-haired girl that isn't me. His priority is Molly. He kisses my forehead and turns to walk with Molly.

I stare at them as they walk off with linked arms. A few girls appear behind me, both with dark hair, pale skin and grey eyes. They are the twins that follow Molly around like slaves: Sian and Sarah. "Can I help you?" I ask with a slightly vicious tone. "Stay away from Finn. I don't know why he just kissed your forehead, or why he is anywhere near you. Molly told him now that they're dating he has to stay away from you, got it?" Sian is so close to me I can feel her breath on my face. Dating? Finn is dating Molly? I try to brush past it and maintain my edge. "Shouldn't you be running off to make sure Molly's hair is perfect?" They glare at me and I step forward. "run along" I shoot them the same glare they give me. They walk past me, making sure to nudge me on way past.

I start to make my way from the school when I walk past Darius with his friends; he seems to be the only sensible one out of them. Their school ties are half way down their chest, shirt sticking out and hair all over the place. I know 12 isn't the cleanest of places, but it's much improved to the way it used to be. People may not have money to afford things they want, but they can all afford what they need. They need soap. I guess it's just a boy thing though; most boys I've come across are like that, except for Darius and Finn. They always look clean and presentable: always. It takes a few seconds for Darius to realise after he's passed, but he comes running after me. "Wren? What's wrong?" He really is a typical older brother, always concerned about me, even if it's something little. Either Darius or Finn is always there to baby me. I shake my head and try and push out a persuasive smile, but I can tell he's not buying it. "Sure Wren. Look I have to go, I'll talk to you when I'm home" He stares at me and waits for me to respond, but as usual I have nothing to say, my words won't come out. I just look at him as he turns away and shouts back at me. "And stay out of trouble!" I don't know why but it puts a smile on my face and temporarily makes me forget about Finn.

I walk around the district, trying to figure out how everything is suddenly changing. I wish I never knew about the stupid Hunger Games. It ruined lives then, it ruins them now. I start to make my way to the doctors when I let myself escape from my thoughts and realise how much pain I'm in, and on my way there I realise how different even District 12 seems. It feels uncomfortable and distant, like I don't belong here. Maybe I never did, and maybe I never will.

The doctor see's me straight away and gives me a bottle of pink medicine that smells sweet and he injects a few needles into my foot. "It will help ease the pain; the medicine will heal it almost overnight!" Dr. Walsh tells me. He's been our family doctor for years, but the last time any of us needed his assistance was when Lock had her injections when she was 6 months old. He asks questions about the family and sends me away with a dozen messages. I didn't intend on passing the messages on, but I know my family will want to know where I've been, why my leg is healed and mainly why I'm not waiting for Finn.

How could I wait for him? I'll just receive more threats from his new girlfriends little minions. Hold on, Finn said he doesn't have a girlfriend, especially not one of them. So he lied to me. He also kind of cheated on her. So he's a liar and a cheat? I'm glad I'm leaving then. I don't want my life to end up married to him, or worse: not married at all. Would that be worse? I don't know. All I know is that any chance of me changing my mind to stay here with Finn is gone. I now only have one priority: Axel.


	6. Chapter 6

Walking seems easier already, or maybe I don't notice it because my mind is elsewhere, re-directed from one pain to another. It's around noon and although there's snow on the ground and the air is cold I can feel the warmth of the sun radiating my insides. Everything looks dim in district 12, especially in the winter, and is only softly lighted by the street lights. I approach the bakery to see my father busy at work, flour on his face and his look of concentration. The bakery has a warm glow like my house does a welcoming sense to it. I walk in the front door and a small bell rings. My father looks up and smiles at me. "Hello darling" I laugh at the flour all over his body. "Hi Dad" He gets some warm bread and butter and hands it to me as I sit down on one of the tables. The bakery is fairly quiet so my father has time to talk to me. "So why are you here? Isn't normally like you to pop in unexpected" He brings over a hot chocolate and sits opposite me. "I went to the doctors, for my foot. He told me to get some rest so I thought I'd get some food on the way home" I sip my drink too soon and it burns my tongue. "Don't lie Wren, not to me. The only person that you would listen to if they told you to get some rest is Finn" What was I thinking lying to my dad? He can read me like a book, no wonder where Darius gets it from. I chew a piece of bread, swallow it, and pause for a few seconds before clearing my throat. "Um, just some girls at the school causing trouble" My father still doesn't look satisfied with my reasoning. "Finn's girlfriend's friends. Best to stay away" I carry on while shoving the rest of the bread in my mouth. "And you're going to let them cause trouble and get away with it? You're starting to sound like me, and I know more than anyone that you're your mother when it comes to stuff like this" He grabs my attention and makes me realise how much I will miss my father. I will miss them all, including Finn. I lean over the small table and kiss my father's cheek. "Thank you"

I rush out of the door, careful not to spill my hot chocolate, and make my way to the school gates. I'm not going down without a fight, I'm not leaving without showing Finn I'm stronger than he thinks. I am Wren Mellark and I am strong.

The main walk way is more visible now; boys not much older than me have been clearing them all morning. I recognise a few faces, but I don't know any of them by name. One stands out in particular; he has dark skin and is well built, with a welcoming smile. He smiles directly at me and I return the gesture. He drops his shovel and jogs over. "You're Wren aren't you? Finn's _friend_?" He raises one eyebrow as if to suggest we are more than friends. "Just friends, but yes" I reply. I feel bad for not knowing his name. "Leon" He raises his hand and expects me to shake it. I stare at it for a few seconds before loosely shaking it. "I used to be good friends with Finn in school, he always used to talk about you, but I rarely saw you" I expected him to have returned to his work by now, but he carries on and I don't mind. "My absence was due to the fact I hate school, the feeling was mutual though" He smiles at my comment and laughs a few seconds before I continue. "So what did he say about me?" My voice shakes and I clear my throat. "He said a lot. Don't worry, they were all good! Anyways, I better get back to shifting the snow. It was nice talking to you!" He didn't answer my question, at least not to my satisfaction. I guess he was just being loyal. I wave at him as runs back to his shovel.

As I approach the school gates I can see the floods of people dispersing from the school. It doesn't take long for me to spot Finn, it's almost as if there is a constant spotlight on him, blocking everyone else from my vision. And then I see her behind him, picking up the pace. Her deadly eyes meet mine almost at an instant and she glares. I mimic her and laugh to myself at how pathetic it all seems. She's by his side now and slips her left hand into his right. He looks at their interlocked hands and smiles half-heartedly. His eyes return forward and he notices me. Almost instantly he loosens his grip and out of the blue runs towards me, picks me up and spins me around. "FINN! STOP IT!"I try to be as serious as possible, but the butterflies from being tossed around like a three year old trail my seriousness off into laughter. When he puts me down my face his red and my heartbeat is rapid. The redness escapes my cheeks and the seriousness returns when I see Molly approaching us with her minions side by side. "Finn" Her voice is stern and brings a tension to the atmosphere. Finn rubs the back of his neck and looks the other way. "Finn" She says again, only this time she's demanding a response. "Yes Mol?" Finn replies in a kind of flirtatious voice. I've never noticed it until now; maybe I notice it now because I know things. "Why are you with _her?" _She shoots a look at me and before Finn has a chance to respond words are tumbling out of my mouth. "How kind of you to acknowledge my existence, however next time I'd recommend using my name. I have one you know" I already know it's a pathetic response, but she didn't give me much to work with, and I can't help but be sarcastic. "I'm well aware you have a name, _he_ never shuts up about you. How everyone expects the pair of you to get married, and how he doesn't want that" Her response kicks me in the gut and I feel my heart sink. My anger is building and I can't contain it. "I don't blame him. I mean, look at you. All that money and you look like that? Disgrace too..." I don't give her time to say another word. I lunge towards her and grab her hair and pull it. I pull her to the ground and punch her several times in the jaw. My vision is blurred by tears and before I can get another hit in I can feel Finn dragging me away. I manage to get a few kicks in her side before I can no longer reach her. Finn shouts over to Darius who is only a few metres away. Darius and a few of his friends surround me and settle me on the floor so I can't escape.

Through the tears and the bodies around me I try to find Finn, but I can't see him anywhere. I'm taken back to the night in district 13. I find myself screaming and crying, longing for his safety and he is nowhere to be found. I curl up in a ball and cry, my fingers tightly around the strands of grass. My armour of people slowly disperses leaving me with only Darius. He crouches next to me and doesn't say a word. I never expect him to shout at me and he never does. He lets me come round in my own time. My legs feel too weak to stand on and my arms shake. I somehow find a way to sit upright and I stare at the school gates. No more people walk through them and the air feels still again. I start to regain a sense of calm within me, and then I see him. Finn walks towards me and he looks angry. Even if I wanted to say anything I wouldn't be able to. He picks me up and nods at Darius. I watch as Darius runs to catch up with his friends.

"You're stupid, you know that?" He tells me, avoiding eye contact. "I figured that one out this morning" He doesn't help the situation at all, if anything he makes me want to lash out again. "This morning?" He sounds confused. "When I realised my best friend has been lying to me. That is when I figured out I was stupid" I can feel the tears coming back as they cloud my eyes. I blink them away quickly and seize the moment to remove myself from his arms. As my feet touch the floor he grabs me and presses me against a wall in an alley. My heart stops and I feel nervous. I've never saw him like this before. "I've never lied to you, not once. Just because I don't tell you every single detail of my life doesn't mean I have lied to you. We're all allowed secrets and you of all people should know that" His words cut like a knife and he's so close I can feel his breath against my forehead. "What is that supposed to mean?" He looks at me like I'm stupid and I start to wonder how we've come to this. "Don't act like I don't know you have feelings for him, Wren!" His voice is raised but choked. "Feelings for who!" "Aksel" Everything is still for a moment and then the emotions come flooding in. I'm a hypocrite. I've been so wound up over him not telling me things about other girls when I've been planning to run off with one. And all of the sudden I realise the one thing I want to do, the one thing I _have_ to do before I leave. I lean towards him and kiss him. Its' sudden, quick and restricted. He still has me pinned against the wall as if he's ready to hurt me. I shift my head to the side and stare at the empty alley we stand in. "I'm sorry" I whisper. He says nothing, and loosens his hold on me. I slip away and turn to leave the alley and he takes my hand. Our eyes meet as he squeezes for second then releases, allowing our fingers to slowly brush past each other.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning arrives of the day I leave my life behind; the air is especially cold, even with the heaters in the house. "Five more minutes" I beg myself and allow two more minutes to indulge in this comfort. The bed sheet is up to my neck and the quilt is hugging me in all the right places. I feel safe. My eyes are about to close when I'm disturbed by a rare sound. She lies there and cries: my precious Lock. All of the thought I've put into my escape and I never even considered her. Not once. A pang of guilt hits my chest and my eyes cloud over. I risk the first step out of my bed and walk over to her. The crying stops as soon as she sees my face. I lift her from her cot and squeeze her tight as a tear streams down my right cheek. I know this is a moment I'll remember forever. The day I left my baby sister behind; the day I left my family behind.

I turn to the mirror in my room, with Lock still in my arms, and pause. I'm reminded of the night in district 13. I'm reminded of the hurt in my mother's eyes as we stood next to Prim's memorial. My mother risked _everything_ to keep her sister safe. I walk back to my bed and pull out some sheets of paper and a pen. Lock lies next to me, completely fascinated by a sheet of paper. This is one of the things I will miss: the way Lock's face lights up at a new discovery. I start to write letters to each person that made an impact on my life. Lock comes first, followed by my mother, my father, Darius, Haymitch, Annie and lastly Finn. I am careful to not give away any clues as to where I'm heading or who I'll be with, but deep down I know that they will find out. They are smart, especially when they come together, and with my latest encounter with Finn, I don't think it will be long until they are on the hunt for me. That is, if they care. I place Lock's letter under her small pillow, then hide the rest of the letters where my family will find them. I don't place them in obvious places; I don't want them to know straight away. I'm not giving them an advantage. The only letter I will find hard to place is Finn's.

I go outside and walk across the street to Finn's house. The ground more ice than it usually is. I place Annie's letter and sit on the bottom step that leads to their house. Time seems to go by slowly and I cherish every second of it. I really should be wearing more insulated clothing that I am, but I'm hoping Finn will offer me his coat when he sees how cold I am. I don't need to hope because I know that no matter what state we're in at the moment, my safety is still a priority to him. He is one of the people I rely on to keep me safe. I constantly expect someone to protect me, and I have plenty of shields here.

A creak comes from behind me and I turn almost instantly to face him. I always thought he looked best under the porch lights. They have an orange, warm glow to them that apparently makes good looking people almost angelic. I bite my lip and hold myself back. Knowing that this will be the last time we make this journey to the school gates makes me want to squeeze him as tightly as I can, feel his warmth for as long as possible, but no such thing happens. "Come on then little'un" I smile a little and lead the way out of Victors Village. "How's the foot?" He continues. I realise the pain is completely unnoticeable. "Almost as good as new apparently" I reply in complete amazement. There's a silence between us for a few seconds and then I can feel his eyes burning on me. He's watching me and I can't help but feel I'm giving something away. I look straight ahead. "Is something up?" I ask him. He chokes and clears his throat. "I don't know, Wren. There's something different about you, and I can't put my finger on it" I've blew my cover already. Stay calm. "Everyone changes Finn. You change, I change, we all change" The cold has got to me and I speak through chattering teeth. As soon as he notices he doesn't hesitate to wrap his coat around me. Perfect. I manage the slip the letter into his pocket without him noticing. "In some ways, yes. But for the first time I'm scared of you. I'm scared of what you might do to me" His words are clear and each hits my gut with the exact same pain. I halt and turn to face him. "_You're_ scared of _me_? I'm hardly a monster, Finn" I try my best to prevent an argument, and thankfully he avoids one. One step closer and we'd be breathing the same air. I never thought how much one step could mean. He takes one step. "No, not scared" He pauses and all I can feel is an imaginary electric force between us. He comes even closer, so his lips are millimetres from my ear. "_Petrified" _He whispers, and suddenly my body freezes. I feel as if I'd crumble into one million pieces if even the smallest thing touched me.

I try my best to resist it, but those eyes are hard to ignore. I stare at him, wide-mouthed. He brushes odd strands of blonde hair from my face and smiles a little. I feel myself ready to talk, not knowing what I'm about to say and before my mind has even processed any thoughts I blurt it out. "Finn" He raises his finger and places it to my lips and shakes his head. We continue walking and stop not far from the school. It suddenly occurs to me that it would be a bad idea to go all the way, and I'm aware that Finn is thinking the same thing. He pulls me in and holds me close. I take away what's left of his remaining body heat. "Your coat" I try to tell him, my words are muffled as my head his buried in his chest. It seems as if he knows this is goodbye and he's savouring the moment for all that its worth. "Keep it" He replies after kissing my head. My eyes fill up and I try my best to blink them away. I don't want him to see me like this; it only shows how weak I am. One thing suddenly comes to mind: the letter. I pull it from the pocket and hold it so he can see. "What?" He asks. "I wrote this. It's for you. But you can't read it, at least not yet. I was planning on hiding it in your jackets but now ..." I can feel my words making less and less sense and I bite my lip. "I won't read it, not yet. I promise" Finn's voice is reassuring and I let out a sigh of relief. The street starts to busy and Finn pulls me out of sight. "Promise me you'll keep out of trouble? That you'll keep safe?" His eyes seem to plead more than any other part of his body, and his eyes have always been my weakness. "Please" His grip of me becomes tighter, not uncomfortable, and still feels safe. "I'll try my best" I nod like a soldier, trying to reassure him that I'm not as vulnerable and careless as he thinks I am.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Molly becoming more visible in the shadows of the buildings. "You've got to go" I tell him, trying to push myself away from him. He pulls me closer one more time and my arms wrap around his back. I expect him to kiss me; I want him to kiss me. If he does then I know I won't be able to leave. I couldn't and wouldn't want to risk losing him if I knew our feelings were mutual. _Our_ feelings? _I_ have _feelings_? How did the boy I've known my entire life and have grown to love as a friend suddenly become something more? I'm not entirely sure I want him to be more than my friend. I just want to feel wanted; I want to feel needed.

Before I know it he's slipped out of my grasp and it running down the street, he's gone like a gust of wind, without any hesitation. My arms are still roughly where his back was a few seconds prior to his departure. From warmth and comfort to cold air and emptiness. He didn't even say goodbye. I watch him as he catches up to Molly and their fingers lace together. I can see him smiling insincerely. He slowly turns his head to look at me. My arms slowly fall as I feel like a tonne of weights being placed on my chest, my throat tightens and I can't form any words. His eyes meet mine as he frowns. I turn on my heels and run. No not run, sprint. His voice echoes down the street and I hear his footsteps creeping up on me. I turn and twist down streets and alley ways, getting as far away from him as possible and closer to the train station. I've lost him now, he's finally given up.

I slow down and try to catch my breath as I approach the train station. I put my hands in the coat pockets to try and warm them. I find what feels like a piece of paper and pull it out. It's a picture of Finn and I. None of us aware the photo was being taken. I stand making a daisy chain and it looks like I'm talking about absolute nonsense, and Finn stands attentively, watching me. The sky is bright blue and the sun is shining. Everything looks perfect and I can honestly now say that it was. I never saw it as anything but another day until now. I turn it over and go to place it back in the pocket when I see writing on the back that reads:  
**"****Wren, I'm sorry for letting you go. Never forget me – Finn"**

He knew I was going to leave, and he let me. My heart sinks to my stomach and I feel lower than ever before. I wipe my tears as the train pulls up and I get on. I sit with one hand on the window and watch as District 12 disappears in flashes of light and colour. Memories flash before my eyes and I smile. It's a long journey and I want to get off and go home, the thought plays on my mind the whole trip. As the train pulls up I feel myself holding my breath until I get off. I keep my head down as I walk onto the platform when I hear a voice. "You showed!" His voice sounds surprised and I let out a sigh of relief. He smiles and wraps his arms around me and I tell him "I wouldn't miss it for the world"


	8. Chapter 8

District 3 is so different to 12. The buildings are tall and filled with televisions and gadgets. It's noisier, too. I'm completely overwhelmed. I hear a blur of words but don't take any of them in, I realise Aksel is trying to talk to me and snap out of my infatuation with this place. "Sorry, what did you say?" He laughs when I ask him, maybe I have a look of being snapped back into reality, or maybe it's my sheer confusion. "I said your foots better" "Oh, yeah. Much better" Aksel realises there's something wrong with me and takes my hand. "Come on, I've got someone for you to meet. I think you'll like her" He pulls my hand and we start running, without taking notice of people in the street. We bump a few people and I find myself constantly saying sorry. We turn corners and dodge obstacles until we reach the outskirts of the down. There's a forest here as well. "You know I'm not a hunter like Darius? At best I can climb a tree" I tell him whilst catching my breath. "I guessed that, don't worry, I'll get you trained. But you don't need to know how to do that today" Aksel replies.

He is still holding my hand and I've become very aware of it. My hands are sweaty from all the running, but his grip is tight enough to stop them from slipping away. We keep walking for about half an hour and I try to get some clues from him but fail miserably. I see a small hut, big enough for a few people to live in, but they would have to possess very little to live in it. As we approach the hut Aksel lets go of my hand. He knocks three times, pauses, double knocks and knocks again. For a few seconds there is nothing. Suddenly, there's a big WOOSH, followed by a gentle thud. I turn around to see a girl standing there, medium height, big eyes and long red hair. Not ginger: Red. Her hazel eyes are lined with black that flick in the corners and she wears all black clothing. She smiles and her teeth are perfectly in line which shows a more innocent side to her. The brightness of her hair suggests one thing: Capitol. But why is she here?

"Nice of you to drop in on us, Megara, literally" Aksel walks towards her and they embrace. "Megara this is Wren, Wren Mellark. She's from 12" Megara comes towards me and smiles. "Twelve ey? Always has been my favourite District, so why are you here?" Her voice gives off that it was supposed to be intimidating, but it is far too gentle to make me scared. I could ask her the same question, but I don't want to appear rude. "It's a long story" I tell her. She concentrates on me for a few seconds. "Wren Mellark. Mellark? Your parents won those games didn't they? Started the rebellion and everything? So you're the girl they all go crazy for?" Megara's voice quickens with excitement. "Excuse me? I don't understand?" I reply and realise how confused I am. "Go crazy for?" I continue. Everyone is still for minute, and appear almost as confused as I am. "Wait, you didn't know that you're pretty much a star in the other districts? There's a huge speculation at the moment over this Finn Odair" For living in the forest, Megara seems to know more about me than I do. "What about Finn, how would they know anything about him?" I have so many questions I want to ask, but I feel they won't get answered. Aksel interrupts. "Over you and him. He's been photographed with you in his arms, and with his arms around another girl, Molly I think her name is. And since you're practically the nations sweetheart, they all want to protect you" He talks as if he includes himself in the people wanting to protect me, as if Finn is a threat. "Finn's harmless" I choke on my words. "Anyways, how do they have pictures of me with him or him with Molly? This doesn't make any sense" Aksel takes my hand and places is spare index finger on my lips. He turns to Megara and starts talking. "Is it ok if she stays with you for a while? You could teach her to hunt or something?" Megara laughs but agrees to let my stay with her.

"I'll be back for you in the morning have more people for you to meet, and I'll get you some more clothes" Aksel comes closer. "Okay?" I nod and smile at him. He holds me close before finally saying "Goodnight Wren" and leaving. I stand in silence as I watch his silhouette disappear into the darkness. It's probably much lighter outside in the town centre but the trees shadowing over us create an early darkness. "You're tiny, aren't you?" Now that Aksel is gone Megara has a much softer tone to her voice. I could detect it before, but now it's obvious that she's harmless. Her dark appearance is misleading. "Yeh, I am quite small" I smile back to her. "Come on, I'll show you the proper way to get into and out of the hut. You know, in case of an emergency escape from it" Megara grabs my hand and directs me towards a tall tree about 100 metres from the hut. "You can climb right?" I nod at her in confirmation. "It's the only thing I can do!" I laugh a little.

We start the climb the tree and find a secure branch to sit on. "Wren, you must remember how to do this, how to escape this way" Megara points to an opening in some bushes that's barely visible. "Once you've made it this far, you have to get into that gap. I'll meet you there and we'll secure it: either Aksel or myself. Keep you safe" I can tell she's serious. We start to climb again until we reach the top of the tree. It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights otherwise this would be impossible. We're not in the highest tree but it appears to be the safest. We're well covered by other trees so it's no wonder Megara was completely invisible before. There's a wooden landing a few metres long at the top of the tree. I'm not sure how it's held up, or how secure it is, but I'm not in any position right now to question it. We climb onto it and walk across it until we reach yet another tree. This time we start to climb down until we reach another platform. However, this one is much smaller, only big enough to hold a few people. There's a ladder at the end of it that takes you down to yet another platform. At the end of it we reach the hut. There's a small hole in the roof of the hut that's surrounded by trees. If you weren't aware of its existence then you would completely miss it. There is nothing but rope ladder to get us into the hut that shakes as I climb down it.

There's a small heater in the centre of the room, bunk beds in the back and two small doors. The first door is the front door, which I am instructed not to use, and the second leads to a small bathroom. No luxuries at all. Megara sets herself down on a wooden stool next to the heater and pulls some fresh game from her bag. "You like Rabbit?" I walk over and place myself on a stool opposite her. "Love it" She smiles and the glow from the heater lights up her face. I never noticed before but Megara is beautiful. She's not like the rest of them from the Capital; she's not over the top at all. She's fascinating.

"You know, you're the first person Aksel has ever brought to see me?" I'm taken back slightly and wait a while before replying. "Really?" "Yeah, he must really like you. How long have you known him?" "Less than a week, you?" I make myself laugh, realising I've left my family for someone I've known a few days. But already I feel comfortable here. Sat in a small hut in the middle of the forest in district 3. "I've known for about 5 years, he helped me escape the Capital. He's still helping me. I'm guessing he's helping you, too. But like I said, he must _really_ like you" She smiles at me warmly and passes me some cooked rabbit. "I think this is going to be a big challenge for him though. Of all the people to fall for and rescue he chose the one person who people want to know about. I'm not quite sure he knows what he's in for" "What do you mean?" I reply. "It was easy for him to keep me safe, I don't have a family that cares about my safety, never mind a family and the rest of Panem. You didn't fully think this through, did you?" She places her hand on my arm gently and half smiles. I shake my head. "I guess I didn't"


	9. Chapter 9

I bite my lip as the question plays on my mind. I've been sat with Megara for about an hour now and there's a comfortable silence as if I've known her for years. I inhale and turn to her. "Meg?" She lifts her head and stares at me with her widened eyes and nods at me. "Why did you leave the Capitol?" I feel the atmosphere around us become very tense and the small fire that was almost out re-lights. Megara's face illuminates with warm flickers of orange and adds a glow to her already stunning red hair. She bites her lip and inhales, just like I did.

"My mother was very abusive. I used to escape the house every day and wonder off into the closest forest to try and get away from it. I'd stay out as late as possible, but she would always wait up and punish me" She lifts her sleeves up and shows me the scars on her arms. "That's just the beginning of it. Then one day came and I couldn't take it any longer. I couldn't go back and face another night of it. That's when I met Aksel and he brought me here. He had been watching me for a few weeks, going off into the forest and crying. He gave me the chance to be free from it all. The only thing I regret is leaving my siblings behind, I think about going back for them every single day, but I can't bring myself to face her again"

Megara's eyes fill up and even though the fire is still beaming on her face I can tell she's pale. A pang of guilt hits my chest as I realise how selfish I've been. I lift my hand to touch her shoulder like she did to comfort me. "Don't, please don't" Megara shudders and I feel even worse. "I'm sorry" I tell her softly. She stands up and walks towards a small chest in the corner of the room and brings it over. A cloud of dust fills the air as she opens it. Megara reaches in to a pile of photographs, some look really old and others brand new. As she goes through each one she passes them to me and smiles. I see the faces of two younger boys with the same big eyes as Megara. The youngest of them has the red hair of his sister and the older has bright blonde.

"Your brothers?" I ask her. She nods and passes more pictures until she pulls out a sheet of paper. She stares at it as if it's the most important thing in the world to her. "What's that?" Megara drags herself away from the paper and smiles in a different way than usual. She looks determined. "It's a plan. I've been working on it since I met Aksel. I was thinking maybe you could help with it, it might help you figure out what you want as well" She pauses and gives me time to take it in before continuing. "I'm going back for my brothers. I can't leave them there any longer with that horrible woman. I shouldn't have left them there in the first place! For all I know they could be seriously injured or worse. She took it all out on me because she knew I could handle it. They can't. Reddah is only three and Mykal is 9. Please Wren, I could really use your help" Her eyes are filled to bursting point and I can feel the pain in her voice as it stabs through my chest. I can't say no. I would do anything for Locke and Darius and if they needed my help I'd want people to at least try and help me. Her eyes are still burning on me and without hesitating I reply "I'll do anything to help you"

Megara goes to speak when the door knocks. She runs over to the peep hole and jumps back. She runs to the fire and puts it out and the small room turns bitch black. She shoves me to the safety exit and hushes me. "You know where to go!" I panic and feel like my heart is going to fall out of my mouth. My pulse increases as I breathe deeply. The smoke in the air fills my lungs and I try my best not to cough. I hear a familiar voice but can't make out words. I know that if I turn back and look I'll regret it but I can't help myself. I pick up the pace and head to the safe place Aksel told me to go to. I stumble over twigs and rocks but I don't stop. I'm breathing more heavily than ever before. The feeling of being caught, taken home and not being able to help Megara hits me like a tonne of bricks. I want to stay here, at least for now. I didn't expect anybody to come looking for me just yet. They must have been very close behind to have found the location so easily. I never expected Darius to be the first person to come looking for me.


	10. Chapter 10

I peer through a gap in the trees at his dark silhouette waiting a few metres away from the door. It creeks open and Megara slips out. There's a long pause before either of them say anything and it's too dark to see what's happening. "I'm Darius, Wren's brother" His voice doesn't sound angry or worried, it sounds calm and soothing. I hear a sigh and before I know it they're approaching me quickly. I shuffle backwards to try and hide myself. "You have a visitor" Megara says with reddened cheeks and a smile right across her face before disappearing into a tree. I look at Darius and wait for him to tell me how stupid I am, but he doesn't say a word.

I can tell by the look on his face that he feels guilty that he followed me, I feel the same guilt for leaving. "I'm sorry" we both say simultaneously. "What are you even doing out here Wren? Are you crazy or something?! Everyone's looking for you!" Darius voice gets louder and louder so I slap my hand over his mouth and hold it there. His screams try to escape but are trapped in my hand. "Darius calm down! I'm fine" I whisper as I slowly release my hand from his face. He catches his breath for a second and replies in the same hushed tone. "I can tell you're fine Wren, but you didn't answer my question" I look at him and avoid the question again. "How's Finn?" My whole body is tense and my throat starts to tighten. "Quiet, but angry. He knows where you are Wren and you know he'll be here soon enough to take you home" "So what are you doing here?" I watch Darius as he fiddles with his thumbs as he tries to gather his thoughts. "I'm here to warn you. The sooner you come home the better. The longer you leave it the more people will get hurt" Confusion takes over my mind and I stumble over my own thoughts, my lips part like I'm about to speak, but no words come out. "Trust me, you're more valuable to this who place than you could ever imagine. People will risk their lives for your protection, especially if you're here with the traitor" His voice is darker and more serious than I've ever heard it before. "Do you understand me Wren? I know you won't come easily, and I know things seem crazy right now but trust me. Please" He stares right into my eyes until I respond. I give him a simple nod of the head and even that takes effort. He places his hand on my arm and whispers "Goodbye Wren, for now". He disappears into the darkness.

By the time I gather my thoughts and return back to the shed Megara has prepared us a hot drink each. "So that's your brother?" Megara's cheeks are glowing almost as red as her hair. I sit opposite her and feel a smile breaking. "The one and only, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were rather smitten with him?" Megara freezes for a second as her face burns even brighter. I take a sip of the drink completely unaware of how hot it is. "Ouch!" Megara laughs and become comfortable again with the subject diverted from Darius. "I'm going to bed now, need to sort my head out" I place the cup down and Megara nods at me in approval.

I toss and turn for hours, thinking of all of the possibilities of what could happen, who could get hurt, how I could explain myself if I went back to my family, but all of them seemed easy to solve compared to the one thing I couldn't knock out of my head: Finn.


End file.
